Bill Text: VA HJR645 | 2013 | Regular Session | Prefiled
Bill Title: College campuses; higher educational institutions to heighten awareness of perils of alcohol abuse.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 9-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2013-02-14 - Passed by indefinitely in Rules by voice vote [HJR645 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2013-HJR645-Prefiled.html
13100307D WHEREAS, college, particularly for freshmen, means freedom from parental control and presents new temptations, and alcohol, drugs, and other dangerous habit-forming substances viewed as accepted parts of college life continue to be pervasive health problems on college campuses; and WHEREAS, according to Southern Illinois University's Core
Institute, the nation's largest and most comprehensive survey database tracking
college students' drinking and drug use in the
country, "
WHEREAS, the National Institute on Alcohol
Abuse and Alcoholism indicates that alcohol consumption is linked to death,
injury, assault, sexual abuse, unsafe sex, academic and health problems,
suicide attempts, drunk driving, vandalism, property damage, police
involvement, and alcohol abuse and dependence; and WHEREAS, accessibility to drugs makes it much
easier to experiment with a variety of illegal and controlled substances,
including prescribed drugs, sedatives, and stimulants widely used among college
students to avoid sleep, increase energy, heighten sexual stimulation, and lose
weight; and WHEREAS, Adderall, a common prescription medication for
treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy
reportedly used by 90 percent of college students as a
study aid to avoid sleep,
is highly addictive, can hinder cognitive skills, and lead to other health
problems; and WHEREAS, alcohol abuse and the misuse of prescribed and
controlled substances are life-threatening habits among too many college
students, and college officials must act collaboratively, concertedly, and
decisively to educate students and parents to these dangers through student
orientations, workshops and seminars, college publications and websites, and
various educational opportunities; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring,
That the institutions of higher education in Virginia be encouraged to heighten
awareness of the perils of alcohol and substance abuse on college campuses;
and, be it RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates
transmit a copy of this resolution to the Chairman and Executive Director of
the State Council of Higher Education and to the Chancellor of the Virginia
Community College System requesting that they further disseminate copies of
this resolution to their respective constituents so that they may be apprised
of the sense of the General Assembly of Virginia in this matter. |